


Mockingbird

by quartzguts



Category: Code Geass
Genre: Attempted Murder, Could be read as shippy, Gen, Just very sad, Sad, im still not over this show, those two tags look funny together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:09:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26943430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quartzguts/pseuds/quartzguts
Summary: Viceroy Nunnally receives a late night visitor.
Relationships: Nunnally vi Britannia & Rolo Lamperouge
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	Mockingbird

Nunnally knows more than people think she does.

Yes, she is blind, and no, she can't walk, but she isn't naive or stupid. She spent years growing up in the ruins of Japan, pretending not to smell the bodies or taste mold on their food, all for the sake of keeping Lelouch happy. As long as Lelouch thought Nunnally was fine, that she wasn't being burned in the same way he and Suzaku were, then Lelouch could still laugh. In a world where she couldn’t see her brother's face, his laughter was the next best thing.

So, she can't see the assassin in the room with her, and she can't get out of bed to run away, but she still knows he's there. There's a shift in the air that comes with human presence, a prickling feeling of being watched. Nunnally knows it well; a girl in a wheelchair with closed eyes gets stared at a lot.

Right now, she and her moonlight visitor are at a standstill. They aren't moving, and neither is she. The longer they wait, the longer Nunnally has to twist herself into a worried mess thinking of all the things that could happen to her in the next thirty seconds, and that's not something she finds particularly fun.

So.

"Are you planning to kill me?" she asks. The question prompts a shift from her visitor, but not a response. Nunnally breathes out slowly through her mouth. "Is that a no?"

"Would knowing your fate make you feel better about it?" Then footsteps. Her visitor is a boy, perhaps only a few years older than herself. "Princess Nunnally vi Britannia."

Nunnally pushes herself up. She rearranges her legs so they aren't stretched out in front of her. "I'm not sure it would make me feel better, but I'd still like to know."

"Yes," the boy says. Nunnally hears the _click_ of a butterfly knife being unsheathed. "You're going to die."

"If you have demands, I'll listen to them," Nunnally says. The footsteps stop right next to her bed. "All I want is to help the Japanese people."

"I'm not Japanese," he says, his voice suddenly full of venom, "and there's nothing you can help us with."

"Us…?"

The knife presses against her neck with cold precision. Nunnally lays down again as the knife pushes her, falling back against the bed. Her soon-to-be killer climbs over her. The position has fear boiling in her gut, but she keeps her face blank. Stoicism over emotion; that’s the way of royalty.

"You've made him suffer long enough," the boy hisses. "Now, that will end. You'll disappear. He'll forget you. Then we—"

For a few tense moments, there’s silence. "Yes?" Nunnally asks.

"And _nothing_. Now, die." The knife cuts a thin red line into her throat. Nunnally gasps as the pressure and pain increase. Her heart beats wildly. She struggles for the millionth time to open her eyes, but as usual, they stay locked shut.

"You're Rolo, aren't you?" she chokes. "You're the one who's taking care of Lelouch."

The knife rips away, leaving a gash in her throat. Nunnally sucks in a deep breath; little tears escape her eyes as she realizes the cut is too shallow to be fatal.

The boy shifts over her, sitting back on her legs. Nunnally props herself up on her elbows. Blood runs down her throat, seeping into her nightgown.

"After I spoke with my brother that time, I used my position as viceroy to search through some files," she says, placing a hand firmly over her throat to stem the bleeding. "I couldn't find much, but I did learn that Lelouch returned to Ashford Academy, and an operative named Rolo has taken my place at his side."

"It's not your place anymore," Rolo says. He stabs the knife through the mattress next to her hand. "Lelouch is _my_ brother. You're not needed anymore!"

As much as Nunnally wants to insist that he’s wrong, the words won’t come out. She smiles. "Thank you for being at his side. I don't know all of what's going on, but I'm glad he has someone with him."

For a long time, neither of them speak. Far beneath her bedroom window, Nunnally can hear the Tokyo Settlement buzz with life. Music, cars, laughter. The sounds of a happy city. Beyond that, far enough that she can’t hear, she’s sure people are crying in Shinjuku.

She feels around for Rolo’s knife, then follows it up to his hand. His fingers are delicate, his nails bitten down to the wick. She rests her hand on his fist.

"Do you love Lelouch?" she asks.

"He’s my brother," Rolo whispers.

"I see." His pulse has told her all she needs to know. Nunally yawns. She's starting to feel woozy—that’s probably the blood loss. "Thank you, Rolo. Please stay with Lelouch from now on. I'll try to return to the two of you as soon as I can."

"The future big brother promised me doesn't include you."

Nunnally sighs. "I've heard it's hard to adjust to a new little sibling, but I'm sure we'll get along."

The next few moments are a haze. Somehow, a bandage makes its way over her neck, and the wet sheets beneath her are replaced. Nunnally waits patiently as Rolo draws the comforter up to her chin.

If Lelouch has decided that Rolo is important to him, then he'll be important to Nunnally, too. They've had enough siblings that Nunnally has long outgrown her jealous streak. And they've lost enough family to teach her to hold on tight to what she has left.

"Thank you," she says when Rolo’s done.

Rolo scoffs. "You're pathetic. I hate you."

She tries not to let the loneliness show on her face. "Goodnight, Rolo."

Nunnally lays there awake for the rest of the night, breathing slowly. She thinks about Lelouch, Suzaku, and the student council. She thinks about Euphy and Clovis. She even lets her thoughts stray to her mother once or twice. All the while, she waits for Rolo to return and finish her off.

He doesn't.


End file.
